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Recently Answered Questions

What are the construction standards in Los Cabos - La Paz, Mexico?

Alfonso Reynoso - Jabre Construcción

House designed and built by Jabre construction, La Ventana Bay, Baja Mexico Sur, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The first thing to do if you are going to build in Los Cabos and La Paz is to get the property. A foreigner who comes to the country and buys a property close to the beach should have a fideicomiso because that is a legal requirement. If you are building close to the ocean and you are a foreigner, you cannot own land within 50 meters of the ocean but you can buy it through fideicomiso, which is a trust. Never start with your construction until you get every legal document that is...

Once you have all your documents and you have legal ownership of the property, have an idea of what you are looking for. Think of the concept of the home that you want to build. Get a rough estimate of the construction cost and work the budget. When you have done that then you can start with the design process. Once that is done then you can proceed with the construction plan and getting the permits.

In Los Cabos and La Paz and in La Ventana (a small village about 40 minutes from La Paz), you need to have permits and legal documents before you can build. It is important to have everything under your name once you start this stage of the process because once your name is on the permits, then every office in the area will assume that you are the legal owner of your property. Your name should appear on everything and not just on your fideicomiso. You should have your power contract and water contract under your name. It will make things easier for you.

(House designed and built by Jabre construction, La Ventana Bay, Baja Mexico Sur, Mexico, pictured.)

In La Ventana, there are some restrictions for construction. Cabo also has construction restrictions and they have architectural restrictions as well. However, in La Paz, you would only have construction restrictions if you are building downtown but all the other areas are very open. You can build anything you want. If you want a traditional American, you can build that. If you want Santa Fe style, you can do that, too.

There are also inspections done by the government to make sure that you are building what you said you will build. In Mexico, I am proud to say that we build fine construction. The buildings here are made to withstand earthquakes. Construction inspections are done by DRO (Director Responsable de Obra). They check the construction style of all the houses and buildings here. Not a lot of people know about the quality of beams, bars, etc. so it is the responsibility of the DRO to check that these things are up to standard. What most people check for quality are the obvious things like the flooring, the walls, the tiles. This is the responsibility of the builder. So it is always my suggestion to go with good builders so you get good quality. Do not go for the cheap ones. In Mexico, we say, “lo barato, sale caro”, which roughly translates to, “cheap things turn out expensive in the end”.

(House designed and constructed by Jabre Construction, La Ventana Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico, pictured.)

How much do healthcare and medical services cost in Portugal?

Duncan MacGregor - Duncan MacGregor Accounting

Pacific Prime offers private medical insurance in Portugal – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

In Portugal, we have the national health insurance and the national health system, which is not terribly efficient and it has long waiting lists so it is advisable for people to have private health insurance, which is not expensive.

There are some very good private clinics and hospitals here in the major centers of Portugal. I have a health insurance policy for myself, for my wife, and my three children even though they are adults now. It costs me...

What are the best things to do in and around the Panama City, Panama area of Casco Viejo?

Maria Suarez

Avenida A, Casco Viejo, Panama City, Panama – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

There are a lot of things that you can do in Casco Viejo. You can walk to Casco Viejo from the Cinta Costera in Avenida Balboa in the afternoon. Avenida Balboa is one of the main streets here in Panama City and around 5 or 6 years ago, they built a coastline, which is Cinta Costera, where you can park your car for free and walk along the coastline. It is a very peaceful walk along the coastline of Panama. If you want to eat, you can go to Casco Viejo and buy a lunch for only US $3.50 at the small stores in Casco Viejo that serves Panamanian food. You can also eat at the mercado del marisco or seafood market right at the entrance of Casco Viejo. The seafood market also has restaurants and some tables with umbrellas where you can buy fresh, delicious seafood. They also sell beers, ceviche, which is also a Panamanian dish that is made of raw fish, onions, lemons, and some spices.

You can also have a walking tour at the different churches in Casco Viejo that were built in the 1600s. You can also visit some of the coffee shops here in Casco Viejo that serve Panamanian coffee. The coffee shops in Casco Viejo are smaller compared to Starbucks since they are not commercialized. They are not very busy coffee shops where people just grab a coffee in go. You can feel the warmth of the people who go to the coffee shops here in Casco Viejo. The coffee shops here are more traditional, less commercial, and the people who go there are much warmer. It is an intimate place where you can feel comfy. Panamanian coffee is way better than Starbucks.

On a side note, there is a Pete’s Coffee in San Jose and they also serve Panamanian coffee.

Another nice thing to do in Casco Viejo is to visit the museum near the Panama Canal. There you could learn about the history of the Panama Canal such as when the French came to build it and failed, etc. There are also craft markets in Casco Viejo that you can visit. As you walk, you’ll see these small stores where they sell crafts, handicrafts, Panamanian clothing like molas.

The buildings here in Casco Viejo are old buildings. If you want to use these buildings, you have to restore them and respect the original architecture of the building. There is one building here that had nothing inside; all you can see are just walls from the outside. People used to sell crafts there but I do not see them anymore. Maybe they have been evacuated to a different area for safety reasons.

If you come early, you might also be able to book a tour inside the presidential palace. It is called Palacio de las Garsas. It was originally the customs building but after several years, they did some architectural transformations on it and made it the presidential palace. The original building is from 1673.

There are several Plazas in Casco Viejo. One is Plaza Mayor, which is also known as Plaza Catedral. Plaza Mayor is several hundred years old and it has a church called Catedral Metropolitano en Panama that is now being restored after being closed for 5 years. It is very beautiful.

Catedral Metropolitano en Panama is a Spanish colonial architecture and it was built sometime between 1688 and 1796. It took several years to be completely built. There is a tomb under this church where the church people are buried. Catedral Metropolitano is the main church of Panama City. If someone who is high profile like the president, for example, dies, then the mass will be held in Catedral Metropolitano.

We also have Plaza Bolivar where you can find small shops on the streets. Sometimes, during Sundays, they put some stalls in the plazas where people can sell second hand things and food. It is nice because you will find a lot of things that you can buy.

There is also a promenade in Casco Viejo called Paseo Esteban Huertas, which is one of Casco Viejo’s landmarks where you can also buy handicrafts, necklaces, molas, and other things that were made by the indigenous Indians who live here.

(Old architecture in Casco Viejo, Panama City, Panama, pictured.)

Can I buy furniture in Granada, Nicaragua?

Carmen Sequeira - Avenicaraguita Spanish School

Muebles Masatepe Nicaraguan furniture – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Yes, you can buy furniture in Granada, Nicaragua.

The furniture are very cheap here.

Near Granada (only 30 minutes awat) there is Masatepe a little town with gorgeous furniture.

Check the picture.

Can I see beautiful flowers, plants and trees in or around Cayo, Belize, including San Ignacio and Belmopan?

Roberto Harrison - Chaa Creek

Flower arrangement gathered from the grounds of The Lodge at Chaa Creek , Cayo, Belize – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Belize in general, and specifically the Cayo District has beautiful flora and fauna. Our national flower is the Black Orchid. We also have ancient trees like the ceiba trees and mahogany trees, which has been a huge part of our history due to the logging that was done here in Belize back when Belize was still British Honduras. The British people came here and did a lot of logging. The Mayan civilization has several superstitious beliefs surrounding the ceiba trees.

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In general, should I keep my US bank, brokerage, investment, IRA or retirement account if I move overseas?

Albert Obbens - Albert Obbens

Keep your US bank accounts and don't worry so much about the IRS getting you anywhere in the world. If you want to come to Panama to retire, the chances that you make more money than $190,000 per year as a couple or $95,000 as an individual (the sums that are free of US taxes when you are a resident of Panama) is quite small.

As Panama uses the dollar, you could consider investing in Panama as well, especially in land, which in most cases will give you a...

Recently Posted Expat Stories

The Big Mac Index (or How Far Does Your Dollar Go In Another Country?)

Even if you move to another country, you will find many things that remind you of the United States. You will see Walmart, McDonald’s, Costco, Home Depot, Pizza Hut, Coca-Cola, Lego, L'Oréal, Nike, and many other familiar names everywhere.

One of those familiar names will show you the value of your US Dollar. You can compare the economies of different countries by comparing the price of a world famous sandwich.

The Big Mac...

Thank God for technology and exercise!

It's funny but when we moved to Panama, I kind of figured that I would not get that homesick, because my family was with me. Boy, was I wrong!

Think about it for a minute....new country, new language, new city, new work setting, new work colleagues, new home setting, new cars, new EVERYTHING. Nothing felt comfortable and nothing felt stable for a very long time.

Thank goodness technology is where it is today. Now, a phone call on Skype can't...

Our Amazing Tortolito Tale

I hate to be a copy-cat but I have a bird story too. My wife (Eneida) has a small house she rents and one day she returned to our condo, after working in the garden of her house, with a small cardboard box. “Guess what this is”, she said. She opened the lid and there, nestled in some paper towel was a tiny, almost necked baby bird. Its eyes weren’t even open yet and she explained it fell out of a nest in a bush she was trimming and she didn’t know what else to do with it,...